The Girl in the Tower Read online

  Maggie stood and bowed her head. “Yes, my queen.”

  Once the maidservant had left, Bogdana collected her thoughts. She didn’t have a moment to lose if she wanted to catch George and the girl in the garden.

  He had disobeyed the queen. And she intended to make him pay.

  12

  Bunches of wild columbines along the road provided Peace and Pax with plenty of nectar for their ever-hungry stomachs. As they drank their fill, they heard music in the distance. They turned to see a group of minstrels coming toward them, walking alongside a colorful house on wheels pulled by two horses. The birds listened to the words of the song.

  We don’t know where we’re going,

  only know where we have been.

  The road we’re on is called Freedom,

  and we’ll walk it again and again.

  They sounded happy, yet sad. Like the last days of summer, when the sun is warm and the garden is filled with color, yet change is on the horizon.

  Every day we meet new people,

  singing songs to bring them joy.

  Our hearts miss Marko and Nuri,

  but our faith shall not be destroyed.

  The birds enjoyed the music. It spoke to their tiny hearts, and it was familiar. It reminded them a bit of the times the girl spoke in the garden.

  And so they followed the minstrels, humming along, the way hummingbirds do.

  13

  Violet pulled the wooden figurines out of the pouch, one by one, completely enamored with the treasure she’d found. There were five of them in all, and they were magnificent. George must have spent hours carving them. Surely he hadn’t done it all yesterday. Perhaps he had been working on them for a while and had decided this would be a fun way to surprise her, Violet thought.

  However he had managed to do it, she was thrilled with the gift.

  Three of the figures were people, and Violet knew George had made them with her in mind. One was a girl holding a sword, one was a girl wearing a robe and a crown, and the last was a girl with a bird in the palm of her hand. Over the years, George had seen her as a pirate sailing on the ocean, a princess with a wool blanket as a robe, and of course, the girl in the garden who talked to the birds.

  He had also made two beautiful carvings of hummingbirds. She held a bird in one hand and pirate Violet in the other, and returned the rest of the carvings to the pouch, which she set beneath a tree. With her arms above her head, she held the figurines in the air as she ran, as if pirate Violet had wings and could fly alongside the bird.

  “You there!” A booming voice came from behind Violet, making her freeze. “Stop that nonsense and come this way.”

  Violet slowly turned around, fear instantly replacing the joy she had felt just a moment before.

  Never had she been this afraid.

  Never had she felt so alone.

  Violet hesitantly took a step and then another toward the woman at the other end of the garden. Who was it? she wondered. She clutched the figurines tightly in her hands and began wishing.

  Please let her be kind.

  Please let her be a friend to me.

  Please let George return so he can help me if she is not.

  “Come, now,” the woman yelled. “Quickly. Don’t you know when the queen gives you an order, you must obey?”

  A chill ran through Violet’s body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. After all, it was because of the queen that Violet had lived ten years and had yet to meet her father.

  The girl wanted to turn and run far, far away. But of course, she had nowhere to go. She had no choice. She had to do as the queen said.

  Once Violet stood in front of the queen, it was a long time before anything was said, as the queen looked her up and down.

  “You are a beautiful girl,” she finally said. “More beautiful than I ever imagined.”

  “Thank you,” Violet replied softly, her eyes focused on a leaf on the ground. The queen made her extremely uncomfortable, but it wasn’t just that. The queen was so ugly it was difficult for Violet to look at her. She hadn’t even known a person could be that hideous.

  “Where is the gardener?” the queen asked.

  “He is attending to his duties. He shall be back shortly.”

  “Is that right?” She turned her eyes away from Violet and looked around at the garden. “So this is where my flying jewels live?”

  Violet looked up. “Flying jewels? You mean the hummingbirds?”

  “Yes. Where are they?”

  “They’re not here. Flown south to find warmer weather. But they shall be back in time for my birthday.”

  The queen raised her eyebrows. “Is that so? That is the birthday when you shall turn eleven years old, yes?”

  “Aye.”

  “What a wonderful day that will be,” the queen said with an evil smile as she imagined the moment when beauty would finally be hers. “Now, tell me: Is it true the birds are quite fond of you?”

  “’Tis true,” Violet said. “And I of them. Mama says we are kindred spirits.”

  “Your mother, she stays in the tower when you come down to the garden?” the queen asked.

  “She must stay there,” Violet said, wishing now more than ever that weren’t the case. “She can’t fit through the hole I use to get from there to here.”

  It seemed to Violet that she should perhaps apologize for leaving the tower. After all, George had told her many times she must be quiet in the secret garden. To be discovered, he’d told her, would mean terrible things for Violet and her mother. Violet did not want terrible things to happen to them.

  “I beg your pardon,” Violet said meekly. “I will return to the tower and stay there until you say otherwise, if that is what you wish.”

  “No,” the queen said as she stroked her chin, looking off into the distance. “As I stand here and think about all this, I do not wish for that at all.”

  “Is George in trouble?” Violet asked.

  “Yes,” the queen said matter-of-factly.

  “Am I in trouble?”

  “Actually,” the queen said with a gleam in her eye, “this might be the luckiest day of your life.”

  14

  The two hummingbirds followed the wandering minstrels all the way to the coastal village of Armanie, where the misty sea air reached up to greet them. Peace and Pax had never seen the ocean before. It seemed to stretch on forever.

  The birds stayed back, admiring the ocean from afar, for no flowers seemed to grow in the gritty tan dirt that lay at the feet of the sea.

  After the minstrels frolicked in the water, they headed toward the marketplace, wearing the sea with their smiles and singing the sweet but sad song once again.

  They hadn’t gone far when one of them called out, “Is that him?” More yelling ensued, and the birds became frightened. They had never heard the minstrels yell before.

  Peace and Pax stayed back, waiting and watching, hovering in an azalea bush, hoping the minstrels would be all right, for they had become fond of them.

  And then a man appeared, and the minstrels laughed and patted him on the back and gave him hugs and kisses. The birds flew closer. They wanted to see this man who made everyone smile.

  The crowd grew quiet, forming a circle around the man. He looked afraid. Confused. “I do not recognize you,” he said. “Who are you?”

  “We are your family,” an older man replied. “We’ve been looking for you. One day you left camp, and you never returned to us.”

  “I’m sorry,” the man said. “I’m not sure of what you speak.”

  The minstrels buzzed with conversation.

  “Shhhh,” the old man hissed. “Quiet! Marko, you really do not remember us?”

  The frightened man shook his head.

  And then he slowly backed away, holding his hand up, a thin leather bracelet sliding ever so slightly down his arm.

  15

  It definitely was not the luckiest day of Violet’s life. When the queen t
old the girl she would be going back to the castle to live as a princess, Violet’s first thought was of Nuri.

  “May my mother come, too?” Violet asked.

  “No,” the queen said. “She may not. She is a wandering minstrel. She doesn’t belong in a castle. But you. You are young enough to train. You really have two choices, as I see it. Come with me to live as a princess and obey me as a daughter would, and I shall set your mother free. Refuse, and you will both be thrown in the dungeon, where you will beg for death to take you.”

  “Tell me about the dungeon,” Violet said, wanting to consider her choices carefully. “How is it worse than the tower we’ve lived in all this time?”

  The queen scowled at the girl. “It is dark and damp, and it smells of death. Rats dwell there. Have you ever seen a rat, Violet? I suppose you haven’t. They are disgusting creatures, with sharp teeth and long tails, and they will eat just about anything, including a small girl’s fingers and toes. And if I still haven’t convinced you, please consider that there would be no kind maidservant to bring you daily food and drink. You’d be lucky to get garbage scraps once every few days.”

  Violet gulped. “And what would it be like to live in the castle?”

  “Ah, now, here is where it is all good news. You shall have your own room, with a down mattress and a fire burning in the hearth. You shall be given the finest clothes to wear and the very best books money can buy for your studies. Servants will wait on you hand and foot. Once you are crowned, the staff shall call you Princess, and a fine princess you will be!”

  One question haunted Violet’s thoughts. “Why?” she asked the queen. “Why would you do this for me now?”

  “That is a fair question,” the queen replied. “First of all, I have always dreamt of a beautiful daughter like yourself. I am unable to have children. Second, I want to know the hummingbirds as you do. When they return in the spring, you shall introduce them to me. What a splendid time we will have with the birds in the garden, you and I, together. There won’t be a person alive who does not envy us.”

  Violet looked up at the tower, trying to imagine a life without her mother. It was like trying to imagine a world without the sun and the moon. Impossible. Tears filled Violet’s lavender eyes.

  “Are you certain there are no other choices?” Violet asked in a very small voice.

  “Positively certain. Now, come along. I’ve stood out here in this frigid garden long enough. Let’s go, and I shall show you to your new room.”

  “May I please say good-bye to my mother?” She sniffled. “Please, Your Majesty? And then I will go with you as you wish.”

  The queen reached down and grabbed the child’s hand, forcing the wooden carving of the bird from her hand. “No. It is time we go. I assure you, it is for the best, for seeing her again would prolong your pain. The sooner you can begin to forget about your mother, the better. Mark my word, your mother will be a carefree minstrel once again, very soon. Each of you shall have the best of both worlds. Don’t you see?”

  Free, Violet thought. My mother shall finally be free.

  It was this thought, and this thought alone, that allowed Violet to maintain her composure as she walked alongside the queen. Violet still held the pirate carving in her other hand. If the queen had seen it, she hadn’t made mention of it. Violet slipped the small statue into her pocket. The queen might have taken everything else, but Violet wasn’t about to let her have that one last possession.

  The carving would be a reminder of the happy times Violet had spent with her mother. Perhaps they’d had their share of difficult times, as all pirates do, but they had survived. Not only that, they’d had loads of fun doing it.

  The sea is getting rough!

  Never had the words been so true, even if there wasn’t a drop of water in sight.

  Don’t worry, Captain Nuri, Violet thought. I will be brave and strong. Just like you.

  16

  When George entered the garden and didn’t see Violet, he thought perhaps she was hiding.

  He called to her softly as he searched behind trees and bushes. “Violet, come out, come out, wherever you are. I want to hear what you think of your gift. A talented fellow must have made it for you, eh?”

  When she didn’t respond, he went to the place where the treasure had been buried. The hole was empty, telling him the satchel had been found. As his eyes took in the surrounding area, they landed on the item a short distance away, near a tree. He went to it and picked it up. When he peered inside, he noticed two of the carvings were missing.

  She must have taken them to show her mother, he thought.

  He ran to the tower door and took the steps up two at a time. When he reached the door that led to Nuri and Violet’s home, a wave of disappointment washed over him. How foolish of him. Violet couldn’t have come up to show her mother, for she didn’t have the key.

  Agony gripped him as he debated what to do next. If he went through the door without Violet, Nuri would surely ask where her daughter was, and, of course, he wouldn’t have an answer. But shouldn’t she be told that the child had gone missing? Nuri was her mother, after all.

  He decided he would look a bit more before he talked to Nuri about the situation. If he found Violet, as he hoped he would, he’d save Nuri a great deal of worry. And if he didn’t, well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

  Upon checking the secret garden one more time, he stepped on something hard in the grass. When he reached down to see what it was, he found one of the carved birds. It was as if she had dropped it there by accident.

  The bird went into the satchel with the other figurines. George’s heart was growing heavier by the minute. He told himself he must keep looking and, more important, must hold out hope that he would find her.

  Perhaps she had gone looking for him, he thought. Or perhaps the wooden carvings had made her miss the birds and she’d gone to look for them. With that in mind, he left for the main garden.

  He searched for a long time, but there was no sign of her. Not even so much as a clue. While he walked toward the castle to get Maggie, he remembered the words Violet had spoken before he’d left her.

  I’ll stay quiet and won’t set foot outside this garden. Mark my word.

  He felt ill as panic spread through his body like a burning fire.

  Someone had taken Violet from her private garden.

  But who?

  And why?

  17

  The tower was extremely quiet when Violet wasn’t there to chatter away about this or that. It seemed to Nuri there was an endless supply of Violet’s curiosity, which was a good thing, most of the time. Like anything, too much and it could grow tiring.

  As much as she loved her daughter, Nuri found the brief period of silence while Violet visited the garden a welcome relief. It allowed her time to think about the past, the present, and the future in a way she couldn’t when Violet was there, interrupting her every thought. She often used the time to consider helpful lessons for her daughter.

  Nuri knew it was important to teach Violet as much as she could with the few resources she had. Over the years, she’d made it a point to teach her how to read and write, how to speak properly, and how to count. She also tried to show her as much of the world as she could by reading books Maggie would sneak in from time to time.

  It was Nuri’s greatest hope that someday they would leave the tower, and she didn’t want her daughter to be a stranger to the ways of the world. Every day, she kept that thought in mind as she tried to teach Violet as much as she was able.

  The day of the treasure hunt, Nuri sat down and tried to focus on creating some new astronomy lessons. But for some reason, she couldn’t focus. She felt anxious, and it bothered her, for, as far as she knew, she had no reason to feel that way.

  She found herself staring at the artwork Violet had created the day before, thinking of her husband and feeling sad that he had missed out on so much of their daughter’s life. He would be proud of Viole
t. She knew that for sure. The child had grown up with so little, and yet she was kind, inquisitive, and smart.

  Nuri picked up her sewing project, hoping it might help to settle her nerves. And it did, for a short while. But when Violet didn’t return from the secret garden, Nuri’s anxiety returned. She paced the floor, back and forth, back and forth, wondering what was taking so long.

  Finally, after hours had passed and she was practically sick with worry, Nuri heard the familiar click of the key in the lock. She ran to the door, and when it flew open, she looked down, expecting to see Violet’s smiling face.

  But that was not what she saw. Not even close.

  Nuri’s eyes quickly traveled up until they met the queen’s.

  “Where is she?” Nuri asked, trying to peer behind the queen’s large frame.

  The queen pushed past Nuri and into the small room, the door slamming behind her. “You’ve disobeyed me. All of you.”

  “What have you done with her?” Nuri asked. “Bring her to me. Now.”

  Bogdana turned and glared at Nuri. “You best watch your tone. Your fate, as well as your daughter’s, lies in my hands.”

  The queen took in the small room. She stared at the pictures Violet had drawn. Nuri silently kicked herself for not hiding them. She and Violet had been so careful all these years, making sure to put smuggled goods away in the secret hole when they weren’t being used. Although the queen had never visited them until now, Nuri had always been aware that she could, at any time.

  “The child did this?” the queen asked as she went to the table and picked up one of the drawings. “She’s quite talented. And surely you must know I never gave permission for you to have such extravagances as parchment and ink.”

  Nuri didn’t respond, hoping the queen would let it slide. The less she said about George and Maggie, the better.

  Queen Bogdana set the picture back on the table and went to the window. The sun was starting to set, turning the sky into a playground of pastels. Nuri thought of all the times she’d stood there with her daughter, watching the sun disappear as day turned to night. Neither of them liked nighttime much because of the darkness it delivered. But never, Nuri thought, had it been as dark as this moment. Never in her life had she been so frightened.